Underpants

ABSTRACT

A garment for a person&#39;s lower body comprises a waistband, the waistband comprising a strip of elasticated material having a first end and a second end. A front panel is connected to and extends between the first end and the second end. The front panel extends from the waistband to cover a lower abdominal region of the person. The front panel is formed of one of an inelastic fabric and a stretch fabric.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to a garment for a person's lower body. Inparticular but not necessarily exclusively, this invention relates to anundergarment.

BACKGROUND

Many types of lower body garments include an elastic waistband whichextends continuously around the wearer's waist. The purpose of such awaistband is to hold the garment in place on the wearer's body, whilstpermitting the garment to be removed easily.

SUMMARY

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provideda garment for a person's lower body comprising a waistband, thewaistband comprising a strip of elasticated material having a first endand a second end. A front panel is connected to and extends between thefirst end and the second end. The front panel extends from the waistbandto cover a lower abdominal region of the person. The front panel isformed of one of an inelastic fabric and a stretch fabric.

The inventors have appreciated problems with prior art lower bodygarments in which the waistband includes a continuous loop ofelasticated material. For wearers with abdominal problems (for example,wearers suffering from Inflammatory Bowel Disease or Irritable BowelSyndrome, or wearers recovering from abdominal operations, such ascaesarean sections), such a waistband can put stress on the abdomen,which can cause discomfort to the wearer and exacerbate the wearer'sabdominal problems. The above-described garment includes a front panelwhich extends from the waistband to cover a lower abdominal region ofthe wearer. This means that the force which is carried through the stripof elasticated material is distributed through a larger area of thefront panel, thereby reducing the stress in the front panel. Thisreduces the stress on the wearer's abdomen, thereby avoiding or at leastmitigating the above-described problems.

In addition to the above, for a prior art lower body garment in whichthe waistband includes a continuous loop of elasticated material, a gapforms between the wearer's body and the waistband at points in betweenthe hips and the abdomen. This is because the hips and abdomen extendoutwardly different distances. The front panel extending below thewaistband to cover the lower abdominal region avoids this problem, asthe front panel's larger area allows it to deform more easily than astrip of elastic and to follow the profile of the wearer's body. Thismeans that for everyday use, the design improves the fit of the garment,as the garment sits flush to the wearer's body. This improved fit offersgreater comfort to the wearer. Further, the removal of pressure on theabdominal region and the improved conformity between the garment and thewearer's body reduces localised stresses on the wearer's body leading toimproved performance for sportswear.

In an embodiment, the strip of elasticated material extends partiallyaround the front of the garment. This means that the waistband betterholds the garment in place on the wearer's body, but still avoids stresson the abdomen.

In an embodiment, the front panel extends from a top of the waistband toa crotch region of the garment. This may simplify the manufacture of thegarment.

In an embodiment, the width of the front panel increases from thewaistband towards the crotch region. The increasing width of the frontpanel ensures that the garment is comfortable around the wearer'sgenitals. This is particularly important for men's garments.

In an embodiment, the garment further comprises a rear panel whichconnects to the strip of elasticated material, the front panel at thecrotch region and side portions of the front panel. In an embodiment,the rear panel is a single piece of fabric. This simplifies themanufacture of the garment.

In an embodiment, the front panel connects to the first end and thesecond end via a pair of seams. In an embodiment, the pair of seamsextends from the waistband along the side portions of the front panel,connecting the front panel to the rear panel. This simplifies themanufacture of the garment.

In an embodiment, the garment is an undergarment. In an embodiment, thegarment is a pair of briefs.

In an embodiment, the garment comprises twin stitching around each legopening of the garment. The twin stitching helps to prevent wear of thegarment at the leg openings. In an embodiment, the twin stitchingcomprises flatlocking inside the garment. The flatlocking increases thecomfort for the wearer.

In an embodiment, the front panel is a single piece of fabric. Thissimplifies the manufacture of the garment.

According to a second aspect, the present invention provides underpantscomprising a waistband, having a strip of elasticated material extendingaround the top of the underpants and partially around the front of theunderpants, thereby forming a c-shape. A front panel is connected to andextends across the top of the waistband between ends of the elasticatedstrip. The front panel has lower elasticity than the strip ofelasticated material. The front panel extends downwardly from the top ofthe waistband to cover a lower abdominal region of the person.

According to a third aspect, the present invention provides anundergarment for a person's lower body including a waistband thatincludes a strip of elasticated material having a first end and a secondend. A front panel is connected to and extends between the first end andthe second end. The front panel is formed of a single piece of fabricand extends from the waistband to cover a lower abdominal region of theperson, and the front panel. Additional stitching is provided across thefront panel between the ends of the elasticated material, the additionalstitching forming a twin needle additional seam as a secure stitching.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

Specific embodiments of the invention will now be described withreference to the accompanying figures, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front view of an undergarment in the form of underpants;

FIG. 2 is a rear view of the undergarment of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a front view of another embodiment of an undergarment in theform of underpants.

SPECIFIC DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, there are shown front and rear views ofa garment 100 for a person's lower body. The garment 100 is anundergarment. More specifically, the garment 100 is a pair of briefs.

The garment 100 comprises a waistband 102. The waistband 102 extendsaround the top of the garment 100. The waistband 102 is suitable to beworn on a person's trunk. The waistband 102 comprises a strip ofelasticated material 104 and a front panel 106. The strip of elasticatedmaterial 104 has a first end 107 and a second end 108. The front panel106 connects to and extends between the first end 107 and the second end108. The strip of elasticated material 104 extends partially around thefront of the garment, thereby forming a c-shape.

The front panel 106 may be of lower elasticity than the strip ofelasticated material 104. The front panel 106 may be inelastic.Alternatively, the front panel may be formed of a so-called stretchfabric. The front panel 106 is preferably formed of a single piece offabric.

The front panel 106 extends downwardly below the waistband. Morespecifically, the front panel 106 extends from the waistband to cover alower abdominal region of the person. More specifically, the front panel106 extends from the top of the waistband 102 to a crotch region 110 ofthe garment 100. The garment 100 further comprises a rear panel 112. Therear panel 112 connects to the bottom of the strip of elasticatedmaterial 104. The rear panel 112 connects to the front panel 106 at thecrotch region 110. The rear panel 112 connects to side portions 114 ofthe front panel 106. The rear panel 112 is a single piece of fabric.However, it will be appreciated that the rear panel 112 may be made ofmultiple pieces of fabric, which may be joined by seams.

The garment 100 comprises a pair of leg openings 116. The leg openings116 are formed in the front panel 106 and the rear panel 112. The legopenings 116 are on either side of the crotch region 110.

The width of the front panel 106 increases from the waistband 102towards the crotch region 110. More specifically, the width of the frontpanel 106 increases from the waistband 102 up to the leg openings 116.The width of the front panel 106 decreases from its highest point in theleg opening 116 into the crotch region 110. The rear panel 112 extendspartially around the front of the garment 100. The increasing width ofthe front panel up to the leg openings 116 ensures that the garment iscomfortable around the wearer's genitals. This is particularlyadvantageous for men's garments. It will be appreciated that in othergarments (in particular but not necessarily exclusively women'sgarments), the front and rear panels may be shaped differently. Thewidth of the front panel may be constant or the front panel may betapered towards the crotch region.

The connection 118 between the strip of elasticated material 104 and therear panel 112 extends around the bottom of the strip of elasticatedmaterial 104, along its entire length. The connection 118 between therear panel 112 and the strip of elasticated material 104 may comprise aseam.

The front panel 106 connects to the first end 107 and the second end 108via a pair of seams 120. The pair of seams 120 further extends from thewaistband 102 along the side portions 114 of the front panel 106,thereby connecting the front panel 106 to the rear panel 112. The frontpanel 106 may include a further seam running across its middle in adirection which, in use, is across the wearer's body. This further seammay be substantially parallel to the connection 118 between the strip ofelasticated material 104 and the rear panel 112. Such a seam offers moresupport to the genitals. The front panel may connect to the rear panelat the crotch via a seam at the base of the garment (not shown in FIGS.1 and 2).

The garment 100 comprises twin stitching 122 around each of the legopenings 116. The twin stitching 122 is on the edges of the front panel106 in the crotch region 110 and on the edges of the rear panel 112. Thetwin stitching 122 comprises flatlocking inside the garment 100.

In use, the waistband 102 extends around the wearer's trunk. Thewearer's legs are received by the leg openings 116. The crotch region110 is between the wearer's legs. The front panel 106 sits on thewearer's abdomen. The front panel 106 extending below the waistband tocover a lower abdominal region results in a reduced stress in the frontpanel 106, when compared to the stress in the strip of elasticatedmaterial. This reduces stress in the wearer's abdomen, giving increasedcomfort for wearers with abdominal problems, and preventing exacerbationof the abdominal problems. Additionally, the improved fit of the garment100 results in increased comfort for all wearers and improvedperformance for sportswear.

Referring to FIG. 3, a pair of underpants 300, broadly similar to theundergarment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, includes a waistband 302 comprisinga strip of elasticated material 304 and a front panel 306, all of whichare as described above for the waistband 102, elasticated strip 104 andfront panel 106 of the undergarment embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2, exceptthat additional stitching 308 is provided across the front panel betweenthe ends of the elasticated material 304. Preferably, as shown, this ispositioned in-line with the bottom of the waistband, although otherpositions may be used. The stitching 308 preferably forms a twin needleadditional seam as a secure stitching. This helps to maintain structureof the garment and retain shape after washing.

The skilled person will be able to envisage other garments withoutdeparting from the scope of the appended claims. For example, thegarment may be a pair of trousers or shorts, or a skirt or kilt.

1. A garment for a person's lower body comprising a waistband, thewaistband comprising: a strip of elasticated material having a first endand a second end; and a front panel connected to and extending betweenthe first end and the second end, wherein the front panel extends fromthe waistband to cover a lower abdominal region of the person, whereinthe front panel is formed of one of an inelastic fabric and a stretchfabric.
 2. The garment of claim 1, wherein the front panel is formed ofa single piece of fabric.
 3. The garment of claim 1, wherein the stripof elasticated material extends partially around the front of thegarment.
 4. The garment of claim 1, wherein the front panel extends fromthe waistband to a crotch region of the garment.
 5. The garment of claim4, wherein a width of the front panel increases from the waistbandtowards the crotch region.
 6. The garment of claim 5, further comprisinga rear panel which connects to: the strip of elasticated material; thefront panel at the crotch region; and side portions of the front panel.7. The garment of claim 6, wherein the rear panel is a single piece offabric.
 8. The garment of claim 1, wherein the front panel connects tothe first end and the second end via a pair of seams.
 9. The garment ofclaim 8, wherein the pair of seams extends from the waistband along theside portions of the front panel, connecting the front panel to a rearpanel.
 10. The garment of claim 1, wherein the garment is anundergarment.
 11. The garment of claim 10, wherein the garment is a pairof briefs.
 12. The garment of claim 11, wherein the garment comprisestwin stitching around each leg opening of the garment.
 13. The garmentof claim 12, wherein the twin stitching comprises flatlocking inside thegarment.
 14. The garment of claim 12, wherein the width of the frontpanel increases from the waistband up to the leg openings of the briefs.15. The garment of claim 1, further comprising additional stitchingacross the front panel between the ends of the elasticated material. 16.The garment of claim 15 wherein the additional stitching is positionedin-line with the bottom of the waistband.
 17. The garment of claim 16wherein the stitching forms a twin needle additional seam as a securestitching.
 18. Underpants comprising a waistband, having a strip ofelasticated material extending around the top of the underpants andpartially around the front of the underpants, thereby forming a c-shape;and a front panel connected to and extending across the top of thewaistband between ends of the elasticated strip, the front panel havinglower elasticity than the strip of elasticated material, wherein thefront panel extends downwardly from the top of the waistband to cover alower abdominal region of the person.
 19. The underpants of claim 18,wherein front panel is formed of a single piece of fabric.
 20. Anundergarment for a person's lower body comprising: a waistband thatincludes a strip of elasticated material having a first end and a secondend; a front panel connected to and extending between the first end andthe second end, wherein the front panel is formed of a single piece offabric and extends from the waistband to cover a lower abdominal regionof the person, and additional stitching across the front panel betweenthe ends of the elasticated material, the additional stitching forming atwin needle additional seam as a secure stitching.